Re: CHAT: "John Doe" equivalents sought
| From: | Ed Heil <edh@...> |
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| Date: | Monday, May 22, 2000, 6:21 |
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On Sun, May 21, 2000 at 10:23:07PM -0400, Roger Mills wrote:
> Douglas Koller wrote:
> >In my idiolect at least, John/Jane Doe would be the name attached to a
> >cadaver or missing person whose identity was unknown
>
> It just struck me that "Roe" in the famous Roe v. Wade decision was a dummy
> name. Wouldn't this be an odd use-- to keep a person's name from becoming
> public knowledge?
As it would happen, "Roe" wrote an autobiography, called _I am Roe_.
She never actually aborted her baby; the legal case was over whether
she *should* have been able to. But she is still (when she is known)
reviled and attacked today by anti-abortionists.
Ed.